


A Subtle Change (MtG Month of the Ship - Day 14: And they Were Roomates)

by Wolkemesser



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: F/M, Only One Bed, Planeswalker, Roomates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 14:52:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18640348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolkemesser/pseuds/Wolkemesser
Summary: Another short piece for my favorite Magic character ever. This is a scene that is alluded to in the Planeswalker novel, but never actually depicted.





	A Subtle Change (MtG Month of the Ship - Day 14: And they Were Roomates)

“But it’s cold.”

“Yes, that’s why we build fires.”

Ratepe pouted. “You’ve got a machine that lets you fly around the countryside in a bubble. Are you telling me we can’t get some kind of artifact that keeps a two-room cabin warm enough to live in?”

Xantcha sighed. Truth be told she could have done with a few artifacts to make things in the cabin a bit more hospitable, now that it wasn’t just her and Urza, but she was always a bit on guard about asking him to just invent things without a very good reason. A heat engine could very well unfold into some half-baked theme to boil phyrexia with radiator-golems or something.

“We’ll talk to Urza when he’s done with his current scheming. Maybe for you…”

“That could be weeks, though!” Ratepe inched closer to the fire. “I…I don’t want to be ungrateful, but couldn’t you put something together? You probably know more about artifice than anyone on the island. Besides him, of course.” Ratepe nodded his head toward the door.

“If Urza comes out here and finds some strange artifact he doesn’t recognize he’s liable to think we’ve been compromised by phyrexians and annihilate the cabin trying to protect us.”

Ratepe sighed. “Fair. I would like to cut down on the number of destroyed homes I’ve run from."He tossed another log into the fireplace and retreated to the bed, huddling at the edge closest to the flames and pulling a blanket around his shoulders.

"Thank you. For the fire, and…and for everything, really. I know you don’t have any more control over him than I do.”

Xantcha smiled and settled down on the bed next to him. “We’re a team in that now. He’s our shared responsibility for better or for worse. He’s getting better, bit by bit, we just have be patient.”

They would rest a while and the next day’s activities would warm them up again. It was just the winter cycle. She closed her eyes and yawned. It was not a natural need for a phyrexian, but the years of using Urza’s cyst had made it muscle memory for her. She had even started to stretch her arms out when she-

Her fingertips brushed Ratepe’s shoulder and she froze.

“Xantcha-?”

He was blushing, more so than the cold winds outside could have accounted for. She knew she wasn’t, but could feel a lump (a very different lump) rising in her throat.

“I’m sorry.” She started to pull her hand back but then his was there, resting atop it.

“D-don’t be. I mean, unless you don't…” His fingers found there way between hers. “Th-that is if you-”

She pulled him closer, and his hands found her back and shoulder. Her fingers rand through his hair and their lips met, warm, wanting and welcoming.

“For warmth,” he gasped, when they finally let each other come up for air.

“Of course.” She didn’t believe it any more than he did, but they would talk about that later. “Warmth. As much as we need.”

Then he was kissing her again, and there were no more words exchanged that evening.


End file.
